Perfect
by DragonGolem
Summary: What does Kasumi think about as she cleans in the morning before everyone wakes up? That was the question I decided to answer. One shot


Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ thank you very much.

Author's Notes: This is a one shot of something I came up with one day. I hope you all enjoy.

Perfect

Morning begins for everyone else in a few hours, but not for me. Everyone is able to sleep but not me. It's okay. I'm used to it. There are so many things to do before the day breaks that hesitation is not an option. I slip out of my nightclothes and into one of my many housedresses. My closet is rather bare except for the essentials, but I don't mind. This is just another thing that I'm used to. I make my bed with practiced ease as Mother had taught me. The comforter so taut you could bounce a quarter off of it. When I was little I used to do that, but my schedule leaves me with no time to play like that anymore. Maybe it does hurt a little.

The furo must be filled and made ready for use during the day. I clean it out beforehand and once again I have to clean almost a bucket full of panda fur. This room has seen a lot I'm sure. Our tears after Mother died as my sisters and I grew inseparable. The bonds forged in this room. The water fills the furo slowly as I set about placing the towels and the other washing items. Today is a special day. The anniversary of the day when Ranma and his father came to stay at the house. Because of my sister, Nabiki, the occupied sign seemed to disappear when the poor boy was in the middle of his bath. With my younger sister's volatile temper, it came as no surprise that he was pounded into the floor. The poor boy had no one but his father to learn from and his first genuine impression of us is abuse. Maybe it does bother me a little.

The small dining area needs to be cleaned. The results of either a battle or Ranma's simple back luck are in evidence. I can't believe some of the things that happen to him, but I see the evidence all the time. His curse is proof that at least many of his stories are true. If only I was strong enough to reach out to him, but I can't or Akane will call him a pervert or an idiot and the list goes on. The broken dishes on the ground make me want to cry, but I'm not even strong enough to cry. Mother's good china is safe in storage, but it bothers me even more to realize that even if it was Mother's dishes they still would break them. I feel a familiar friend creep up on me, but I have to let him down. As much fun as it would be to let him out, it would cause too much damage. Anger is my old friend and after Mother died he was my only friend. The fragile china pieces break in my hands and I think about how insensitive some of them can be. I finish sweeping them up and dumping them in the trashcan. I keep losing more of myself everyday.

I dread entering the kitchen. Who knows what could have happened during the night, especially is Akane decided to make a midnight snack. Lately we've discovered she has almost no taste buds in her tongue. It's not that she doesn't taste her food, she can't. The kitchen is as I left it the night before except for one thing that wasn't there when I went to bed. A redheaded girl is sleeping at the little table in the kitchen. I smile at the sweet image she projects before remembering that this is Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes Style Martial Arts. So insecure in his manhood that he needs to prove it at every turn. My life has been bad, but at least I wasn't ripped from my mother when I was small and forced to learn the martial arts by a psychotic maniac. My opinion of Mr. Saotome is very low indeed. I run my fingers through her hair, marveling at how soft it is whether she's male or female. A tingle runs up my spine when I remember a few thoughts I've had. My regret has always been not being more honest with Dr. Tofu when he was here. My biggest regret, however, has been giving this wonderfully interesting person up. Careful not to disturb her, I begin cleaning the kitchen and washing the remaining dishes in the sink. The sink blurs as I feel something hot and wet prickling behind my eyes. I feel myself start to cry as it all crashes down upon me. It hurts! Oh, kami-sama it hurts so much! My chest aches, my throat burns, I feel the sobs wrack my body as I slowly sink down to the floor. I cry for my Mother, I cry for my sisters, I cry for my father, but most of all I cry for myself. Life is so unfair! As I spiral into darkness I can hear a voice calling out to me. A pair of slim, but strong arms enfolds me. I turn my tear streaked gaze to the person holding me and I gasp softly. It's Ranma.

"Kasumi-chan…What's wrong?" she asked me, but all I could do was cling to her and weep. She was obviously uncomfortable, but did her best to comfort me. I felt as if I was crying my heart out. Ranma merely whispered words of encouragement and soft assurances as I felt my tears abate. I pulled back from the embrace, feeling better than I had in a long time.

"How do you feel?" Ranma asked me with concern. I responded through the tears with a smile.

"Perfect."

The End

Author's Notes: Whew! That had been percolating for a long time and I finally could get it out. Thank you all for reading and review! Ja ne!


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